Brush seals have been employed as a means for sealing high pressure gas or fluid areas from low pressure gas or fluid areas. For example, brush seals may be used in connection with gas turbine engines. Brush seals commonly inhibit flow of gas or liquid along a shaft. Conventional brush seals typically include an annular retaining plate, an annular back plate, and a plurality of flexible bristles (or a bristle pack) that are secured between the retaining plate and back plate. When a brush seal is used to provide a seal with respect to a shaft, the tips of the bristles generally contact or run near the shaft to seal a system pressure from a discharge pressure.
Some conventional brush seals provide a recessed back plate and a flexible front plate that is concentric with the bristle pack. The front plate may be provided on the high pressure side of the bristle pack. A plurality of fingers may be provided to sandwich the bristle pack between the front plate and a rigid back plate. An example of a brush seal with a flexible front plate is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,884,918 to Basu et al.